Sunday's Message: The Choice is Yours
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
[Moses said,] 15 See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
So if you knew that behind curtain #1 was a long and happy life filled with good things and behind curtain #2 lay disease, death, conflict and trouble, which would you choose? Stupid question? But every day, people choose the low road, the hard road, or the road to nowhere rather than the pathway to God. Lured by promises of shortcuts, easy answers and quick fixes, people who take the road to death wade through wasted years of disappointment before realizing they are on the wrong road. But Jesus offers us a way back to the right path. As long as there is breath in your lungs and a tiny sliver of hope in your heart, you can choose once again, and this time, Choose Life!
